


{ it's not easy for me }

by coasttocoast



Series: Times They Are a-Changing [5]
Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Scooby Doo Where Are You! (TV 1969), What's New Scooby Doo
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Coming Out, F/F, First Kiss, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 17:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coasttocoast/pseuds/coasttocoast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're breaking up with me?"<br/>"I'm sorry."<br/>"You should be."</p>
            </blockquote>





	{ it's not easy for me }

A week and two days after they break up, the day of their two year anniversary, Daphne slides into the van next to Velma.

  
“I'm sorry,” Velma says, staring straight ahead.

  
“Fuck you,” mumbles Daphne. Then she climbs over the seat and prepares to explain to Shaggy and Scooby that she'll be sitting with them.

 

* * *

  
The first time they kiss, it's out of fear. It's strange and wonderful and absolutely insane and nothing in the world has ever felt more right, but they're so scared. At first, it seems like the kiss is never going to stop, ever, but then Daphne abruptly pulls away, a gasp interrupted by a piercing sob. She collapses onto Velma, clutching onto the orange sweater with one hand, the other clenching Velma's forearm as if it's the last time they'll ever touch.

  
“What if it goes wrong?” Daphne questions, words muffled by Velma's sweater. She's stopped crying now, but Velma can still hear the tears in her voice. 

  
“It's not going to,” Velma assures, but does not promise. She hopes she sounds dauntless and certain, not terrified like she is. Still unsure of how to reciprocate, she cautiously brings her arms around the redhead's nonexistent waist and hugs her. It's very loose and friendly at first, but her embrace grows tighter and the tighter she hugs the mores he realizes she doesn't ever want to let go. “Nothing's going to go wrong,” Velma repeats. This time, she's not sure who she's consoling.

 

***

  
  
The day after they break up, Velma doesn't show up for the team meeting. When Fred asks why, Daphne promptly tells him she's a coward. There's a lot Fred doesn't know or understand about women (especially the ones that aren't into him), but he can grasp that something's happened and they're both not okay no matter how often Daphne may say she is. Something has to happen for a couple to go from “everything is perfect” three days ago, to “never speak to me again”.

  
He ends up calling Velma twice, and goes as far to try her sister, Madelyn who tells him that sorry, Velma's super sick and hangs up before Fred can make a futile attempt at flirting. Shaggy calls their missing team member as well, and to his surprise, she actually picks up. After a quick conversation, he informs Fred that she's sick with “like some kind of flu”. Fred asks, “That's all?” and Shaggy responds, “Like, that's all.” He leaves out the sadness in her voice and the blatantly fake coughs. Shaggy knows he's not the smartest, but he can pick up a lie from his best friend the moment it exits her mouth.

Daphne doesn't call at all. She pretends she's hurting Velma, but the truth is, she's hurting herself the most.

 

***

 

A week after the break up, Velma's visited by Shaggy at her bookshop.

  
“Hi, Velma!” he greets, all too cheery for the girl's liking.

  
“What do you want?” she asks, hardly glancing up from her book.

  
Suddenly, Shaggy seems very interested in a scab on the back of his hand. “Like, so what happened with you and Daphne?”

  
She should have seen it coming. “We broke up is all. It happens, Shaggy.”

  
“Oh, come on!” Shaggy groans, back of his hand forgotten. “You were like, perfectly happy the night before!”

  
“A lot can change in little time. Just let it go, alright? It's between me and Daphne,” Velma replies, her words sharp. The bell on the door rings as two college-aged boys walk in, so Velma snaps her book shut and starts shelving a stack next to her.

  
Shaggy grabs a book as well, reads the author's name, then shoves it in its place. “Velma,” he snaps, voice low, “like, this is important. Why?”

  
Velma takes something out of her pocket and shoves it into Shaggy's hand. “This is why,” she hisses. “Can you please leave me alone now?”

  
The longer Shaggy stares at his palm, the more his eyes widen in surprise. “Like, you--”

  
“Excuse me,” one of the boys pipes up. “Do you have any Simon Beckett?”

  
Nodding, Velma walks over to the other side of the store, and gestures to a shelf. “You'll find them here. _Written in Bone_ is recommendation of mine.” The boy half-grins in a thank you, then turns to analyze the shelf.

  
“Shaggy, please leave,” Velma requests. He gives her a look – not quite of pity, not quite of disappointment – and walks away. Then he stops.

  
“I really think you should, like, give that to Daphne,” he tells Velma, taking her hand and closing it around the object. “She'd like it.”

  
Velma sighs in response, then goes back to shelving books.

 

* * *

 

The night Shaggy found them kissing was followed by an awkward meeting in the diner, fifteen minutes later.

  
“So you're... dating?” Fred tries out the word on his tongue. It's a word he's used many times before, but tonight it tastes weird and foreign.

  
“Six months on Friday,” Daphne confirms, slipping her hand into Velma's.

  
They're silent for a minute and then, “Like, six whole entire months?” Shaggy asks, slightly in awe.

  
Fred clears his throat, then awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Must've been during the--”

  
“Reynolds Case? Yes,” finishes Velma. “It's not like we haven't tried to tell you before, you know.” A few minutes later, everything manages to shift back to normal. Fred informs them about their newest case, Shaggy and Scooby eat enough food for the five of them, Daphne makes a snarky remark about something Fred said, and Velma assures everyone that ghosts aren't real.

  
When they leave, Fred slaps Velma's back in a matter of mannish approval. “It's not something I ever expected,” Fred says, “but it's alright. You're happy, right? She's happy?”

  
“We are,” Velma declares. Then she smiles.

 

* * * 

 

The day Velma breaks up with her is a week and two days until their two year anniversary. She says, “We can't do this anymore. It isn't fair to either of us.” Daphne says, “You're serious?” Velma replies, “I hope this doesn't affect the working dynamic of Mystery Inc,” to which Daphne questions, “You're breaking up with me?” Velma says, “I'm sorry,” and Daphne says, “You should be,” before turning to walk away.

 

* * *

 

  
Three weeks after they break up, Velma shows up at Daphne's apartment at midnight. She's completely drenched from the rain, her tears disguised as so.

  
“Velma!” Daphne exclaims when she opens her door. “Are you--"

  
“I'm in love with you,” Velma confesses, her words dire and tinged with drunkenness.

  
Daphne opens her mouth, then closes it again, unsure of what to say. So she grabs Velma's waterlogged sweater and kisses her instead. It's probably the worst best kiss she's ever had; all sloppy and desperate and needy.

  
“Let me drive you home,” insists the redhead, slowly letting go of the orange fabric. And so she does, taking the longest route possible while Velma tries her best not to drip all over Daphne's car seat.

  
“I'm in love with you,” Velma repeats once Daphne pulls up outside their – no, sorry, Velma's flat.

  
“Oh honey, I know.” She blinks a few times, holding back tears that she didn't know were threatening to leak out. Leaning over the console, she presses a kiss to the corner of the younger girl's mouth, then she says, “Get out.”

 

* * *

 

Five months into their relationship, Daphne looks up at Velma, away from her cereal, and says, “I love you.”

  
Velma sits there, eyes widening and cereal growing increasingly soggy before she replies, “Oh. I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

One week after the kiss, Velma asks Daphne to grab a cup of coffee with her.

  
“I didn't mean to hurt you,” Velma claims, staring down at her bagel.

  
“Well you did,” quips Daphne. Then she reaches across the table, covering Velma's hand with her own. “Velm,” she says tentatively, “what happened?”

  
“I'm so sorry. I just, I freaked out,” she explains. “I'd take it all back. I'd do it in a heartbeat. If you'd only give me another chance, I'd-- I'd...”

  
Daphne stares at her, eyes scanning for deceit. “Give me a reason,” she finds herself saying. “Why do you deserve another chance?”

  
“I don't,” Velma confesses. She clears her throat, eyes wide. “You have every reason to hate me.”

  
“But I don't hate you,” replies Daphne, “so tell me why my feelings are justified.”

  
Velma runs a shaky hand through her hair. “I was scared. I don't-- I'm not really sure. I don't know why I did it, Daph, but I'm so, so sorry.” She lets out a trembling breath before continuing. “I made a huge mistake, okay, I hurt you. That's something I never wanted to do. I freaked out on you. An apology doesn't fix anything. I wish I could-- I'm sorry.”

  
“I miss you,” Daphne whispers, her voice hardly audible. “This does not make us okay,” she adds quickly.

  
“Yeah,” Velma breathes. “That's okay.”

 

* * *

  
  
The next day, Daphne kisses Velma outside of the Mystery Machine. Then she climbs into the van as if nothing happened.

  
“Are you guys alright now?” Fred asks after Daphne closes her door.

  
Velma turns to face him, a hopeful look on her face.

  
“Maybe.”

 

* * *

 

  
Two months after the break up and two months after they got back together, Daphne's looking for a pen in Velma's lab area when she finds an unmistakeable velvet box.

  
“Velm?”

  
“Yeah?” Velma walks downstairs, t-shirt and pants sticking to her slightly damp, freshly showered body. She takes the towel off her head and hangs it on the rack next to the washing machine. “What is it?”

  
“What's this?” Daphne inquires even though she knows perfectly well what it is. From the look on Velma's face, Daphne figures right away she was not supposed to find it.

  
“I,” Velma sputters, “it was why I freaked out on you.”

  
Hands on hips, Daphne tries to give her girlfriend a stern look, but she ends up smiling. “Velm, you...” She trails off, uncertain of how to end that sentence. “When were you...”

  
“I was going to ask you the day of our anniversary. But I got scared,” the younger girl explains, cheeks beginning to flush.

  
Smiling widely, Daphne tells her, “I would have said yes.”

  
“Would you still now?”

  
Daphne grabs the collar of Velma's t-shirt, pulling her close. "I'm going to say yes," she whispers, "but only if you ask properly." Then she kisses her. 

**Author's Note:**

> "Written in Bone" is a real book by a real Simon Beckett. And it's very good.


End file.
